Village of Long Grove begins building expansion

In 2023, the village of Long Grove trustees approved an expansion of village hall, a historic building, formerly the Drexler Tavern, gifted by the Long Grove Historical Society in 1974, and moved to the present site on Old McHenry Road in 1977.

Village Manager Chris Sparkman said, “This expansion will permit us to provide more efficient service to our residents and business owners. Our staff work spaces will allow for improved collaboration and productivity, while public meetings will take place in a larger boardroom facility designed to accommodate more participants and better align with today’s video streaming technology. All this will be accomplished while maintaining the historic look of our existing building while being mindful of the wetlands and natural grounds we occupy.”

After a year of planning and vetting potential partners, the village launched the project in late April and recently completed phase one, the moving of the historic Ruth Barn. The barn move was necessitated in order to accommodate the hall’s expanded footprint and provide clearance for construction equipment.

The village’s engineering firm Gewalt Hamilton and moving experts from DeVooght House Lifters of Valders, Wisconsin, who, in the course of two days, made the move of the historic barn to its new location on the village grounds a reality.